In short. Blackball — also called English pool or eightball pool — is played with seven reds, seven yellows and a black. Pot a group to claim it, clear all seven, then pot the black to win. A foul hands your opponent two shots rather than ball in hand, and often a free ball. The governing body is the WEPF. American 8-ball, run by the WPA, uses solids and stripes, ball in hand, and called pockets.
Most confusion about pool rules comes from mixing the two codes. They share a name and a black ball, and almost nothing else about how a foul is punished. Below is blackball as this game plays it, followed by the comparison.
The table and the balls
Fifteen object balls: seven reds, seven yellows, and the black — no numbers, no solids and stripes. Plus the white cue ball.
They are racked in a triangle with the black on the centre spot of the third row, and a red and a yellow in opposite back corners. The rack alternates colours as evenly as the triangle allows.
Choosing your colour
The table starts open: neither player owns a colour. The first ball legally potted after the break sets it — pot a red and reds are yours for the rest of the frame.
If you pot one of each on the same shot, the table stays open and it is your opponent's turn. Potting the black while the table is open loses the frame outright.
Taking your shot
Once colours are decided, a legal shot means the cue ball must strike one of your balls first. Pot one of yours and you carry on; miss and the turn passes.
You do not have to call your pocket. Anything of your colour that drops counts, including balls potted by accident — which is one of the real differences with the American game.
Fouls, and the two shots
A foul is any of the following:
- Potting the cue ball — the scratch, or in-off.
- Hitting no ball at all.
- Hitting one of your opponent's balls first.
- Potting one of your opponent's balls.
The penalty is two shots, carried by your opponent. They may miss the first without losing the table, which turns an unpromising position into a chance to play safe and then attack. Two shots do not accumulate: fouling twice in a row still leaves your opponent with two, not four.
If the foul leaves the incoming player snookered — unable to hit any of their own balls in a straight line — they get a free ball: for that shot, any ball on the table counts as theirs to hit first. They keep their two shots. It is the single most valuable thing you can hand an opponent, and the reason a safety that leaves them tangled is usually worth more than a low-percentage pot.
Winning, and the four ways to lose on the black
Clear your seven, then pot the black. That is the whole win condition — no called pocket, no nominated cushion.
- pot the black before clearing your own colour;
- pot the black and the cue ball on the same shot;
- pot the black together with one of your opponent's balls;
- commit any foul on the shot that pots the black.
That last one catches people out. Being on the black is not a safe place to be careless: a scratch that would cost two shots at any other moment costs the frame here.
Blackball versus American 8-ball
Both are called "8-ball" in ordinary speech, which is why rule arguments start. Here is where they actually part company.
| Blackball (WEPF) | American 8-ball (WPA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Balls | Reds and yellows, unnumbered | Solids 1–7, stripes 9–15 |
| Table | Smaller, 6 ft or 7 ft, tight pockets | 7 ft to 9 ft, wider pockets |
| Foul penalty | Two shots to the opponent | Ball in hand, anywhere on the table |
| Snookered after a foul | Free ball | No such concept — ball in hand covers it |
| Calling pockets | No | Yes, every pot must be called |
| Accidental pot | Counts, you continue | Not called, so the turn ends |
| Black on the break | Usually re-rack | Re-spot or re-rack, at the shooter's option |
The practical consequence is that ball in hand punishes a foul far more harshly than two shots do. In the American game a single mistake often ends the frame, so safety play dominates. In blackball a foul is survivable, and the free ball rule rewards leaving your opponent tangled rather than simply far away.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between blackball and American 8-ball?
Blackball uses unnumbered reds and yellows, punishes a foul with two shots and a possible free ball, and does not require you to call your pocket. American 8-ball uses numbered solids and stripes, gives ball in hand for a foul, and requires every pot to be called.
Do you have to call your pocket in English pool?
No. In blackball any ball of your colour that drops counts, including one potted by accident, and you carry on. Calling pockets is an American 8-ball rule.
What is a free ball in pool?
When a foul leaves the incoming player unable to hit any of their own balls in a straight line, they are awarded a free ball: for that one shot, any ball on the table may be struck first. They keep the two shots the foul earned them.
Do two shots add up if I foul twice?
No. Two shots is a maximum, not a running total. Fouling again while your opponent already holds two shots leaves them with two.
What happens if you pot the black too early?
You lose the frame immediately. The same applies if you pot the black along with the cue ball, along with one of your opponent's balls, or while committing any other foul.
Which rules does this game use?
Blackball, following the WEPF code: two shots after a foul, free ball when snookered, no called pockets, and loss of frame on a foul involving the black.
Play a frame
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